WE MUST DO
Faculty, students and staff of StFX gather on the Coady Institute steps before a Black Lives Matter march on campus.
The tipping point came early last year. Spurred on by racial unrest, notably the Black Lives Matter movement that exposed sweeping societal injustices, StFX President Dr. Andy Hakin and senior administration met last March with StFX students, staff, and faculty who face racism every day to listen and learn about the atmosphere on campus and in the community and StFX’s responses, or lack thereof. “I want to report that we’ve heard you, loud and clear,” Dr. Hakin said. “We have heard that racism exists in the classroom, in residence and in the community. We also heard that these problems have been reported before and have not been addressed. We must do better. Words alone are not enough. We must take immediate action.” To ensure StFX takes meaningful steps forward in addressing racism with the objective of seeing marked and lasting change, Dr. Hakin established the President’s Action Committee on Anti-Racism (PACAR). The committee reports directly to Dr. Hakin and has a mandate to identify and address systemic barriers that affect all under-represented and marginalized groups at StFX. Co-chairing PACAR are Robert Upshaw, an African Nova Scotian and veteran educator with extensive expertise in anti-racism, antiBlack racism and social justice, and StFX Vice-President Students Elizabeth Yeo. “This is an opportunity to move the anti-racism agenda forward,” says Mr. Upshaw. “We are grateful for the students, faculty, staff and community 16
StFX ALUMNINEWS l WINTER 2022
members who have joined PACAR. Their energy and expertise has already contributed significantly to building understanding and identifying the immediate priorities for action. We look forward to inviting the StFX community to share in the learning and the work to identify the longer term and systemic changes needed to address racism,” Ms. Yeo says. PACAR committee members include co-chairs Robert Upshaw and Elizabeth Yeo; Kerry Prosper, Indigenous Elder; Dr. Tim Hynes, Vice-President Academic and Provost (Acting); faculty Dr. Ornella Nzindukiyimana and Dr. Shelley Price; staff members Krista Hanscomb and Lee Anna Osei; (May-December 2021) community members Ann Sylliboy and Sabrina Skinner; and students Ella Mulvihill, Che Morales, and Gord Gallimore. The committee is currently reviewing StFX’s policies, procedures, and practices to ensure alignment with equity and inclusion, and is working to produce a comprehensive, university-wide, anti-racism action plan that touches all aspects of the university. This includes reviewing information from those who’ve come before them in this work at StFX and researching other organizations with demonstrated leadership in anti-racism to distill key learnings on what’s needed to support change.
POSITIVE ACTION
In a few short months, PACAR has seen positive impact. The VP Students Office and the Human Rights and Equity Office reports implementations including:
